Penguins News

Crosby 1K: Milestones and Moments

Sidney Crosby reached a historic career milestone on Feb. 16 when he assisted on Chris Kunitz's first-period goal against Winnipeg. That assist was the 1,000th point in his illustrious NHL career.

Here is a look at some of his career highlights on the road to 1,000.

(Note: since the 1,000 points were all in the regular season, we focus on regular season moments. Crosby's playoff moments speak for themselves).

FIRST POINT (Oct. 5, 2005)

The eyes of the hockey world had been on Sidney Crosby since he was 12 years old. So to say there was a gargantuan amount of hype surrounding his first career NHL game would be a drastic understatement.

On Oct. 5, 2005, the day had finally arrived. Crosby made the Pens' roster as an 18-year-old rookie and his first game would take place in New Jersey against the Devils.

It would take until the third period, but Crosby would deliver. With the puck in the corner he whipped a hard pass to Mark Recchi in the slot. Recchi finished the play by beating goaltender Martin Brodeur and Crosby's mark on the league had officially begun.

FIRST GOAL (Oct. 8, 2005)

Crosby would pick up an assist in each of his first two career games, both on the road. But he saved his first goal for his dramatic home debut.

The Pens hosted the Boston Bruins at Mellon Arena, and it was Pittsburgh's first chance to get a glimpse of their new franchise center in action. Crosby did not disappoint. He picked up 3 points on the night, but most importantly, he scored his first career NHL goal.

Crosby found a loose puck at the crease off of a rebound and slammed it home. He then celebrated by throwing his body into the glass while raising his arms and screaming. It was a moment Pens fans will never forget.

100TH POINT (April 17, 2006)

Mario Lemieux set the franchise record with 100 points as a rookie for the Pens in 1984. Crosby was sitting at 97 points during his rookie campaign with just 2 games left to be played, and people wondered if he could catch Lemieux.

He would only need 1 game.

Crosby posted 3 assists against the New York Islanders in the final home game of the season for Pittsburgh. When Ryan Malone ripped in a slap shot off of a pass from Crosby, the 18-year-old phenom hit the 100-mark and the roof nearly blew off.

Crosby would add 2 more points in the season finale in Toronto to surpass Lemieux with 102 points, a franchise record for a rookie that stands to this day. Crosby has broken the 100-point mark in a season 5 times in his career.

100-200-300 (Oct. 18, 2008)

Milestones are always an incredible feat. But to accomplish 3 in a single game? Near impossible. Unless, of course, you are Sidney Crosby.

Against the Toronto Maple Leafs Crosby hit 3 career milestones: 100 goals; 200 assists; 300 points. It was a trifecta of achievements in a single night. To make it even sweeter, teammate Evgeni Malkin also hit a milestone: his 200th career assist.

The duo cut the puck in half to share, a symbolic gesture of their intertwined careers.

ROCKET MAN (April 11, 2010)

Sidney Crosby posted 2 goals in the final game of the regular season in Long Island to win his first career "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL's goal-scoring champion.

The pair of goals gave him 51 total on the campaign, which was tied with Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos. The duo shared the award.

6 POINTS (Dec. 13, 2006)

Crosby and the Flyers have a long history of competitive dislike of each other. So it is only fitting that Crosby recorded his highest point total in a single game against the city of Brotherly Love.

Crosby scored 1 goal and posted a career-best 5 assists to hit the 6-point mark. Crosby would tie that mark a few seasons later against the NY Islanders (Jan. 19, 2010) with 2 goals and 4 assists.

Crosby would also hit the 5-assist mark twice more in his career.

BONUS: Of course, no one can forget Crosby's first visit to Philadelphia in 2005. That's when Derian Hatcher punched him in the mouth, knocking out three teeth. But Crosby had the final laugh when he scored in overtime to give the Pens a victory.

STREAKING (Nov. 5-Dec. 28, 2010)

Crosby amassed 50 of his 1,000 career points during a stretch of 25 games during the 2010-11 season.

Crosby's "assault on the league," as dubbed by former linemate Bill Guerin, began with a pair of goals against Anaheim. He finished off his streak with a 4-point game (2G-2A) against Atlanta. In total, Crosby collected 26 goals and 24 assists.

The 25-game run is the third-longest streak in franchise history and Crosby became just the fifth player in NHL history to average a goal-per-game during a streak of 25 games or more, joining Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull, Steve Yzerman and Bryan Trottier.

COMEBACK (NOV. 21, 2011)

A concussion and neck injuries forced Crosby to miss the bulk of 2 playing seasons and 61 straight games. When he returned to the lineup following that 61-game stretch, he did so in his usual dramatic fashion.

Just 5 minutes into the contest Crosby received a pass in the neutral zone, cut around an Islanders defender and unleashed a backhander into the roof of the net for his first goal/point in his comeback.

With fans holding signs that read "Welcome Back Sid," Crosby posted 2 goals and 4 points to mark his return.